Virtual Insanity: Facebook Edition

Social networks are continuously trying to climb the social ladder by upping the ante almost weekly. Any regular user has experienced the social media sites’ constant redesigning of their interfaces in hopes of getting us users to use their sites more than the competitor sites as well as just use them more often period.

For example, Twitter recently tweaked their retweeting feature, have added personal lists features, hover pop-ups and other small updates they push out continuously time goes on.

Facebook is no different. They just changed the “news feed” display by adding the “live” option (which no one I know has ever fully understood). FB has also changed navigation and various other things along the way as expected.

But I just logged into my Facebook account today and was pleasantlysurprised to see the new welcome message on my Facebook homepage:

“Welcome to your new, simplified home page.” [EMPHASIS MINE]

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw that “new, simplified home page” on Facebook. It was just plain scary!!

Why they do things like this? Doesn’t anyone over there do any sort of user testing before they push out new features and functionality to the entire world?

I’m sitting here wondering, just wherein the world on this page do you want me to look first?

Ironically, there’s a “Facebook Lite” promo link at the top of the page trying to push a “fast and simple” version of Facebook.

I know, I know, these changes are happening because Facebook wants to compete with Gmail and email in general. The Google generation doesn’t email their friends anymore anyway. . .unless you want to attach and send a file (hint to FB coders, this is one new feature which would make sense).

But in the meantime, is it time to create a “I wish Facebook would stop messing with Facebook” Facebook group? Will you join?